Customer Reviews

Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing

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May Sarton's novel "Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing" tells the story of Hilary Stevens, a 70-year old poet and novelist who lives in a house by the sea with her cat, Sirenica. When a two-person team comes to interview her, she reflects on her life, love affairs, and literary career.

"Mrs. Stevens" is a fascinating fictional portrait of a woman writer. It's fun to hear the characters discuss the novels and poetry books written by this invented character; the book has an almost Borgesian flavor in parts as this imaginary oeuvre is explored. In this book Sarton also explores sexual and romantic love in its various permutations: male-male, female-male, and female-female. Along the way the characters invoke a number of important female writers: Sappho, Jane Austen, Colette, etc.

Sarton deals with a number of compelling issues in this book: the tension between female creativity and procreativity; women's mental health; the fickle fortunes of the literary world; and the impact of a book's reception on its author. Sarton has a satiric touch in her look at the literary/publishing establishment, a gentle touch in her look at human relations. And throughout there are some nice touches, like details about Hilary's work in her garden. Overall, a solid achievement from an impressively prolific writer.

This book is wonderful for all readers. Detailing the experiences of a lesbian woman coming to terms with the terminus of her life and the art she has produced, this book bridges ideas and generations. There is so much there that this is a must for any person who wants to think seriously about art and life.

about life, poetry...

this was an incredible book. not based as much on plot as ideas, this book uses f. hilary stevens, an accomplished poet, as a medium through which we see that life, despite its inherent pain, is amazing and beautiful once viewed in the right way. eloquently written, and hard to put down.

Do not pick up this book if you are hoping for an action-packed novel. This is a slow a narrative as it gets, and rightfully so. It is a very beautiful book. The Mrs. Stevens of the title is a poet. A newly published book of poems is bringing her fame and attention. A couple of journalists want to interview her. The book has four parts:

° her preparations and musings pre-interview: Hilary Stevens was born in New England with a hot-blooded Mediterranean personality. She was never the daughter her parents expected, and she hated being a girl, because at an early age she understood all the extra constraints she would have to endure just for that fact. She recounts her discoveries of love, her early passions, her writing, with a mixture of loving nostalgia and disgust.

° the interviewers dialogs on their way to her house: esoteric English majors (boy and girl) waxing about the beauty of language and love (quite boring, in my opinion)

° the interview itself: where Hilary takes the interviewers for a wrestling match of the brains, the meaning of life, the meaning of her poems, and comes out very victorious. Hilary and the girl journalist understand each other and make the boy journalist feel inadequate.

° the post-interview and the following day: Hilary has a young friend, Mar, who helps her in the garden and does small repairs in her cottage. Mar is tormented, coming to terms with his homosexuality. Hilary can understand this very well, because she was/is a passionate person, and Mar is still searching for the tools to deal with his passion in a less destructive way. Hilary suggests poetry as a good avenue. Mar and Hilary have fruitful conversations by the ocean. After a few days of stirring the past, Hilary comes to terms with her life as best as she can.

Hilary Stevens, a poetess and novelist in her 70s, prepares for an interview regarding her latest book of poems which has once again made her the darling of the critics. That morning, thanks to a puzzling encounter with young Mar Hemmer who desires to write his own poetry, Hilary begins to look back on her career and her life, her lovers and the elusive Muse. Just what is it that propels her to write her poems?, the interviewers want to know, and through their questions, she relives the moments in her life when the Muse entered and the poetry flowed -- when she was with the women who set her mind aflurry with words and passion.

Slow-paced and thought-provoking, May Sarton's novel discusses what gives writers inspiration, as well as what effect love has not only on writing but on life. All the characters are well-fleshed out, from Hilary to Mar and both the interviewers, and even the young Hilary who provides a conflict between the generations within Hilary herself. A beautifully written book that examines what it is to be a writer.

A fast read, lyrical in places, but a rather strange, dated approach to lesbian/ bisexual experiences. Not a keeper for me, already donated to Goodwill.

This book should be read by anyone who is a writer or who wants to be. It is the story of an elderly woman, a writer, who is being interviewed by two young journalists. As they interview her, she flashes back to different times in her life and offers insights into how/why she wrote her various works. She is also trying to help a young man understand himself (and not always willingly). This book tells the tale of how Hilary Stevens found her Muse, a different one for different times in her life, and gives us insights in how to find ours. I am keeping this book.

Fans of May Sarton and serious literary types will love this book in which very little happens except in the mind of the narrator. It's an important book, as she was an important writer. She was also a pioneer, daring to bring lesbian characters to mainstream fiction. She risked a lot to do that and lost some of her support. As such, she is worthy of continuing popularity, but her fiction probably won't appeal to a wide audience because of its old-fasioned style. It's very lyrical, intelligent, rich, the kind of writing you read slowly and savor long. Sarton's prose is beautiful for a limited, discerning audience.